Domino’s DRU Drone Made First Delivery

If there’s one thing Domino’s is known for besides pizzas, it would be the company’s relentless pursue of improving pizza delivery. In addition to specially customized delivery vehicles, exploring the possibly of autonomous robot deliveries and one-click order-to-delivery, it has now made the world’s first pizza delivery by a drone to real customers living in Whangaparaoa, New Zealand and in the process, beating many companies in the game of drone delivery. Instead of developing its own drone like it did with the four-wheel autonomous robot, Domino’s chose to partner with drone delivery service Flirtey to pull off this world’s first on the November 16, 2016.

Two freshly prepared pizzas, a Peri-Peri Chicken Pizza and a Chicken and Cranberry Pizza, were dispatched from Whangaparaoa store by a multicopter which flew autonomously using GPS and eventually lowering down the pizzas to the awaiting customers who, presumably for the sake of this video footage, devoured the pizzas right there and then. Anyways, it looks like a rather enormous sheet of marker has to be laid out in order for the drone to recognize it as the place of delivery, but unlike Amazon’s proposition, Domino’s solution does not need to land.

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Upon confirming the location for dropping of the order, the drone proceeds to lower the pizzas with line. So why is Domino’s putting so much time and money in this? Well, because wants you to get the freshest, hottest pizza within 10 minutes. Actually, that’s a motive we gladly welcome. While we are excited at this prospect, we reserve our rights to be skeptical.

As you can see in the video below, the aircraft actually flew over a suburb and knowing how some folks can be agitated by intruding drones, or drones they perceived to be intruding their spaces, will the drone be at risk of being shot down by self-proclaimed anti-drone vigilantes? Just saying… Anyways, do enjoy the video below and also, welcome to the future. Just hope that there will be less crazies in this future we are going to be in.

Image: screengrab from YouTube video.

Domino’s via Gizmodo